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Hugo Calderano Wields Racket For A Showdown With Aruna At Lagos WTT
- Brazil’s Hugo Calderano is challenging contenders like Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna for WTT Contender Lagos.
- Aruna will debut at home, with last year’s finalist Dimitrij Ovtcharov aiming for redemption.
- In the women’s singles, Nigerian players and defending champion Shin Yubin lead the field.
Eko Hot Blog reports that after clinching the men’s singles title at the WTT Contender Rio de Janeiro 2024, Brazil’s table tennis sensation and world No.6, Hugo Calderano, has issued a warning to Nigerian star Quadri Aruna and other contenders set for the WTT Contender Lagos.
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The upcoming second edition of the first WTT Series in Sub-Saharan Africa is scheduled from June 19 to 23 at the Molade-Okoya Thomas Hall in Lagos, featuring a prize pool of $80,000.
Calderano secured victory in front of his home crowd by defeating sixth seed An Jaehyun of South Korea in straight sets (11-7, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6) to claim his sixth WTT Series title and his first of the season.
“I feel amazing. It’s an amazing atmosphere here, playing here at home.
“I’m very happy to have won this title here. It was very important to me to win in front of my whole family and a lot of fans from Brazil.
He said further, “I’m delighted to win the trophy,” said Calderano.
Following his triumph on home turf, Calderano’s next challenge awaits in Lagos.
Where he will face off against Aruna and other elite players in pursuit of the title.
Aruna will make his long-awaited debut at home in this year’s Lagos series, having missed out on the 2023 edition.
This was due to prior commitments with his former club, Fakel-Gazprom Orenburg, in the Russian table tennis league.
Meanwhile, last year’s finalist and world No.14, Dimitrij Ovtcharov, is poised to return to Lagos after his appearance in 2023.
His comeback carries mixed emotions, as Ovtcharov fell short in the final last year, conceding the title to Zhou Qihao.
Leading the pack in the women’s singles are top Nigerian players Offiong Edem (ranked 110).
Fatima Bello (ranked 129), Hope Udoaka (ranked 175), and Ajoke Ojomu (ranked 219), alongside world No.7 and defending champion Shin Yubin.
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Furthermore, the tournament will offer a significant boost of 400 ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking points for the winners.
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